Middlesbrough 1-1 Portsmouth : Marlon King scores in injury time to deny Portsmouth a crucial victory and keep Boro in touch with the teams above them

PETER CROUCH has been so out of touch in front of goal in recent weeks that he would have been more at home at Middlesbrough, the lowest scorers in the Premier League, who can go weeks without troubling an opposing goalkeeper. But Crouch's first goal since Christmas seemed certain to lift Portsmouth clear of the relegation zone.

Instead, he and his teammates will have spent one of the longest journeys home in the Premier League engaged in mental arithmetic to work out how many points and indeed goals, they will need to stay up, as they are now above Stoke City only on goal difference. It will probably take calculus to separate the bottom teams on the final day of the season with Pompey among four clubs separated by a point, with Boro two points behind in second bottom.